Music / JAM Project

We're going to the space over the future

We're looking for the place under the shining star

Don't touch that picture, it might just burn your finger off.

JAM^note Japan Animation song (anison) Makers Project is a music supergroup composed of some of the best and most Hot-Blooded musicians in the universe. It was founded in 2000 by Ichirou Mizuki (Mazinger Z, Great Mazinger, Devilman, ...), Hironobu Kageyama ("Cha-la Head Cha-la", "Soldier Dream"), Masaaki Endoh ("Yuusha-Oh Tanjou"), Eizo Sakamoto (lead singer of heavy metal bands Anthem and Animetal), and Rica Matsumoto ("Mezase Pokemon Master", "Rival" , "OK!", and voice of Satoshi).

Currently, the band is composed of Kageyama, Endoh, Masami Okui ("Rinbu -Revolution-", "Shuffle"), Hiroshi Kitadani ("We Are", "Madan Senki Ryukendo") and Yoshiki Fukuyama (singing voice of Nekki Basara, "Makka na Chikai", "King Gainer Over!"). Mizuki reduced his status to "part-time member" after the group got off the ground, Sakamoto "graduated" from the group and rejoined Anthem as well as started up new metal cover bands EIZO Japan and Aisenshi, and Matsumoto left in April 2008 to pursue solo work. They are occasionally joined by Ricardo Cruz, Brazilian manga translator and Promoted Fanboy, on various recordings and in concerts in Brazil.

See also Super Robot Wars, Awesome Music. Not to be confused with the antagonist aliens in Sentou Yousei Yukikaze known as the JAM.

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This band has performed songs for:

• Super Robot Wars. A LOT^note To be correct, they've done the opening and ending songs for every SRW since 2000 with the exception of GC/XO, Neo and the Scramble Commander games.:
  • Super Robot Wars Alpha Gaiden ("Hagane no Messiah") and ("Power")
  • Super Robot Wars Impact ("GO!!") and ("Departure")
  • Super Robot Wars Alpha 2 ("SKILL") and ("Forever & Ever")
  • Super Robot Wars MX ("VICTORY") and ("Yakusoku no Chi")
  • Super Robot Wars Alpha 3 ("GONG") and ("Brother in Faith")
  • Super Robot Wars Original Generations ("ROCKS") and ("Portal")
    • Super Robot Wars Original Generation: The Animation ("Meikyuu no Prisoner" and "Neppu! Shippu! Cybuster!")
    • Super Robot Wars Original Generation: Divine Wars ("Break Out" and "Rising Force")
    • Super Robot Wars Original Generation: The Inspector ("MAX ON" and "Ryuusei Lovers")
    • The Second Super Robot Wars: Original Generation ("Wings of the Legend" and "Babylon")
    • Super Robot Wars OG: The Moon Dwellers ("Shining Storm" and "Heaven's Door")
  • Super Robot Wars Z ("Crest of Z's" and "Cosmic Dance")
    • Super Robot Wars Z2 Hakai-Hen ("Noah" and "Negai")
    • Super Robot Wars Z2 Saisei-Hen ("Hagane no Resistance" and "The advent of Genesis")
    • 3rd Super Robot Wars Z: Jigoku-Hen ("Rebellion ~Hangyaku no Senshitachi~" and "Pray for You")
    • 3rd Super Robot Wars Z: Tengoku-Hen ("Kessen The Final Round" and "End of Heaven")
  • Super Robot Wars V ("THE EXCEEDER" and "NEW BLUE")
  • Super Robot Wars X ("The Steel Warriors" and "The Oath ~Yoake no Chikai~")
  • Super Robot Wars T ("Tread on the Tiger's Tail" and "Reset")
  • Super Robot Wars 30 ("Drei Kreuz -Hagane no Survivor-","with love" and "Concerto of SRW")
• Mazinkaiser ("Fire Wars")(Mainly Kageyama with the rest of the group handling background support) and Mazinkaiser: Ankoku Daishogun ("The Gate of the Hell" and "Majin Kenzan!") (Again, mainly Kageyama with the rest in the background)
• New Getter Robo ("DRAGON", "No Serenity"), Shin vs Neo ("STORM")(Mostly a duet between Kageyama and Mizuki)
• Scrapped Princess ("Little Wing")
• Senyuu. ("THE MONSTERS")
• GARO
  • GARO ("GARO ~SAVIOR IN THE DARK~", "Fencer of GOLD")
  • GARO: Makai Senki ("Waga Na wa GARO", "Predestination", "PROMISE ~without you~")
  • GARO: The One Who Shines in the Darkness ("Isshokusokuhatsu ~Trigger of Crisis~")
  • ZERO: Black Blood ("ZERO -Black Blood-")
  • GARO: Makai no Hana ("Raiga ~Tusk of Thunder~", "my memory, your memory")
  • GARO: The Animation ("Honoo no Kokuin -Divine Flame-", "B.B.")
  • GARO: Gold Storm Sho ("EMERGE -Shikkoku no Tsubasa-")
  • GARO: Crimson Moon ("Guren no Tsuki ~Kakusareshi Yami Monogatari~", "Gekka")
  • ZERO: Dragon Blood ("DRAGONFLAME")
  • GARO: Vanishing Line ("EMG")
  • GARO: Kami no Kiba ("Kami no Kiba~The Fang of Apocalypse~")
  • GARO: Kami no Kiba ~Jinga~ ("Doukoku no Kanata")
  • GARO: Versus Road ("Versus Road ~Higenjitsuteki Survival~")
  • GARO: The One Who Inherits Steel ("Sore wa Kegarenaki Shura no Namida")
• Gravion ("Nageki no Rosario", "Gasshin! God Gravion") and Gravion Zwei ("Kurenai no Kiba", "Enou Gasshin! Sol Gravion!")
  • There's also the theme to the Gravion pachislot game, "Dangai no Tsurugi".
• Koutetsushin Jeeg ("STORMBRINGER" (Ricardo Cruz's first time performing with the band on an official song, rather than concert performances), "Dead or Alive")
• Lucky Star (the awesomest remix of "Motteke! Sailor Fuku" ever)
• Mega Man (indirectly. They did their own version of Omoide wa Okkusenman! Yes, really.)
• Panda Z ("Voyager")
• The SoulTaker ("SOULTAKER")
• Yu-Gi-Oh! GX ("Genkai Battle")
• Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds ("BELIEVE IN NEXUS", is the 4th Opening soloed by Masaaki Endoh along with "CLEAR MIND" as well as "Going My Way!!", the fifth)
• éX-Driver ("Kaze ni Nare"- One of the earliest songs from the band^note Made in 2000/2001, plus several insert songs and openings for the movie and Danger Zone)
• Sgt. Frog ("Hello Darwin! ~Koukishin on Demand~", "Ha-llelujah!!", "Space Roller Coaster GO! GO!")
• The Girl Who Leapt Through Space (BGM. Hopefully an insert song or second OP at some point, too)
• Tomica Hero Rescue Fire ("Rescue Fire", "Three Souls", "Bakuchin Kanryo! Rescue Fire", "Ide yo Gaia Leon" [Endoh solo])
• Shin Mazinger ("Kanjite Knight" with members of Kageyama's old band Lazy as ULTIMATE LAZY for MAZINGER, "Shugoshin - The Guardian" as themselves)
• BlazBlue ("Omae no Tettsui ni Kugi wo Ute", roughly translated as "Beat A Nail With Your Hammer")
• Dragon Gate Professional Wrestling ("Dragon Storm 2007")
• Bionic Commando: Rearmed (The Japanese Opening Theme)
• Digimon Adventure (remix of "Butter-fly", done almost a decade later)
• Animelo Summer Live 2009 (Re:BRIDGE, lyrics by Okui Masami)
• Transformers: Animated, Japanese release ("TRANSFORMERS EVO.")
  • Praise be to Decepticon. That Soundwave is a fucking rock star.
• Sortie! Machine Robo Rescue, ("Go! Go! Rescue", "March of Rescue Hero")
• Saint Beast: Kouin Jojishi Tenshi Tan ("Divine Love" also featuring Kitadani Hiroshi)
• Muv-Luv Alternative (the openings for the three versions: "Asu e no Houkou", "NAME ~Kimi no Na wa~" and "Metamorphose"; Hironobu Kageyama and Masaaki Endoh also sing the insert songs "Tsubasa" and "Carry on", respectively, while Endoh sings the ED of The Day After . "Sora wo Yuukuu Tomoshibi no Uta"). They are also singing the Second Opening of the animated adaptation, with the song "Akatsuki No Ute"
• Cardfight!! Vanguard: The first three opening themes, "VANGUARD", "Believe in My Existence", and LIMIT BREAK. "FINAL TUUUUURN!"
  • They also did the English versions of each of these openings, although they're all TV-size only.
• Mobile Suit Gundam (Indirectly, as a part of the tribute album from Lantis Records.)
  • Mobile Suit Gundam: Ai Senshi (The band together)
  • After War Gundam X: Dreams (Masami Ouki) and Resolution (Maasaki Endoh)
• J-Stars Victory VS: Fighting Stars (with collaboration of Akira Kushida, who sang the opening song for Toriko, for them to be known as "The Big 3". (with Kageyama and Kitadani))
• One-Punch Man: THE HERO !! ~Set Fire to the Furious Fist~ and Seijaku no Apostle
• Cyborg 009 vs. Devilman: Cyborg 009 ~Nine Cyborg Soldiers~ and Devil Mind ~Ai wa Chikara~
• New Japan Pro-Wrestling (MAX the MAX)

And released these albums:

• BEST Project (2002)
• FREEDOM (2003)
• JAM-ISM (2004)
• Olympia (2006)
• Big Bang (2007)
• Get Over the Border (2008)
• SEVENTH EXPLOSION (2009)
• MAXIMIZER ~Decade of Evolution~ (2010)
• Victoria Cross (2011)
• GOING (2011)
• THE MONSTERS (2012)
• X cures Earth (2014)
• X Less Force (2015)

And for some tidbits, Ichiro Mizuki lends his voice to voice Super Robot Wars Alpha 3's Big Bad Keisar Ephes.

This band provides examples of:

• Added Alliterative Appeal: As translated: THE HERO !! ~Set Fire to the Furious Fist~
• Anime Theme Song: The name of the band is Japan Animation song^note Anison Makers, and unsurprisingly they produce many anime theme songs.
• Crowd Song: SKILL has a habit of invoking this in concerts. MOTTO MOTTO!. Many of their songs seem to be made for this trope.
  • Rescue Fire: MOTTO MOTTO!

• Gratuitous English: Many of their songs, including VICTORY, Voyager and the opening of SKILL are filled with random English lyrics.

• Hot-Blooded. Yes. If there is an anime that requires sheer MANLYNESS and COURAGE, there's a very high chance JAM Project will be there. 4 out od the founding 5 members (Ichiro "Aniki" Mizuki, Hironobu Kageyama, Masaaki Endoh and Yoshiyuki Fukuyama) practically defined the standards of Hot Blood in their super robot anime OPs.

• Incoming Ham: Again, from "THE HERO" opens with a scream of ONE-PUUUUUUUUUUUNCH!!! before blasting into the song.

• Metal Scream: Two Type 4 instances in "THE HERO" (for reference, the last line as translated in Romanji):
  I wanna be a saikyou HEROOO!!!!
• Mundane Made Awesome: JAM Project can make anything awesome. This video tests confirms the theory.

• Rearrange the Song: Although more a case of lyric recycling, for some reason the hook for the song "GONG" "Gongu wo narase" appears in a lot of their songs before their song "GONG" was even written. Also, parts of "SKILL" show up in "Rescue Fire" (Motto! Motto!) and "Bakuchin Kanryo! Rescue Fire" (I can fly! You can fly! We can fly!).

• Testosterone Poisoning:
  • Break Out is essentially a long string of hotblooded buzzwords with very little coherence and a catchy chorus.

• The Power of Rock: On at least three distinct occasions, music by the group or members has been a canon, in-show force to be reckoned with.
• Theme Music Power-Up Any time you hear one of their songs play in an anime, it usually always means something awesome is about to happen.
• Troubled Production: Even they aren't immune to this. GONG proved to be a very troublesome song as they could not hit a specific high note, forcing Super Robot Wars Alpha 3 to be delayed a little while. While they do play the song in their shows, they don't attempt the high note.

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